More Severe Flu Strains Starts to Spread Widely

In terms of the severity of the season, Brammer said that no flu season is mild. The severity of the season is simply a comparison between seasons. "There are no good flu seasons," she said.

The death toll of flu among adults – many of them the elderly – is high. So far this year, 22,300 adults have died of flu, Brammer said, and more than 250,000 people have been hospitalized.

That's still much lower than last year's death toll, which topped 80,000.

If more people were vaccinated, the number of deaths and hospitalizations could be drastically reduced, she noted.

Brammer stressed that if you get vaccinated but still get the flu, your illness will be milder than if you had not gotten the shot. She said that it's important that anyone who has babies and older adults get a flu shot.

"Vaccinating the family provides a ring of protection around the baby, or any other family member with high risk of flu," she explained.

The CDC stressed that everyone over 6 months of age should get a flu shot.

As of Feb. 16, the flu is widespread in 48 states, and 30 states are experiencing high levels of the disease. In addition, hospitalizations are increasing, CDC researchers found.

According to the CDC, flu activity is high in New York City and 30 states including Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine Massachusetts Mississippi Missouri Nebraska New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina Oklahoma Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina Tennessee Texas Texas 19659002] If you get the flu, antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza can make your illness less severe. But if you're sick, the CDC recommends you stay home so you do not infect others.